Schindler’s listings come under fire

CHANTAL ABITBOL

A QUEENSLAND estate agent¬† has come under scrutiny for her advertisement¬† that aims to capitalise on the phrase “Schindler’s list” to showcase her listings.

For the past five years, agent Glennis Schindler, of Vic Murphy Real Estate in Maroochydore, has used the play on her last name to publicise her properties in local real-estate magazines.

But the words also have other connotations. Schindler’s List is the name of the award-winning film by Steven Spielberg.

Her tactic appeared to backfire when Executive Council of Australian Jewry executive director Peter Wertheim was alerted to the notice.

“I do not know Ms Schindler, but I doubt that she intended her advertisement to be offensive in any way,” Wertheim was quoted as saying in The Brisbane Times.

“Nevertheless, it will be seen as offensive by Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and their families because it trivialises their suffering.”

David Paratz, vice-president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, told The AJN that the board hadn’t received any complaints about the advertisement.

“If we had, we probably would have given her a call and had a chat to her about it,” he said.

“My suspicion is that she probably thought it was just a jingle. In this case, I wouldn’t know without talking to the lady whether she was really aware of the implications at all. I don’t know if she has even seen the movie.”

When contacted by The AJN, Schindler declined to comment. Asked whether she planned to cease using it, she said: “That hasn’t been decided at this stage.”